Lou has quite a few songs that fit these parameters, and most of them come off as being at least partly autobiographical. Apparently people who knew the family were usually bemused by that, as Lou's home life was reportedly pretty stable, give or take some teenage gay-curative shock therapy. I suspect "Families" was…

Just because I've not seen it mentioned, that Shaq title is, of course, a quote from Pete Rock and CL Smooth's all-time great track "T.R.O.Y." The absentee father in that one is mostly a passing mention in an overall warm portrait of the narrator's family.

Yes.

No idea. In his introduction, E attributed it to reasons known only to Steve Perry. I get the impression that Perry's just a fan of Eels and decided it would be fun to get together on something. Maybe he just liked the idea of appearing somewhere nobody would expect. Or maybe he's a big Garrison Keillor fan who really…

Not the best Eels show I've seen, but in my experience the worst Eels show is better than anything else in town on a given night. I'm no kind of Journey fan, but I gotta say the surprise of E introducing Steve Perry, of all people, was a pretty amazing live music moment. Perry sounded markedly better in person than he…

Hey, I'm in that video. I always knew I'd go viral, and that it would somehow involve Steve Perry.

Jesus, I have a friend who has the exact same take on that movie. It troubles me that there's another one out there.

Yep. His over-the-top mugging when he gets hit in the crotch is easily the film's nadir.

Lou Reed also has a cameo in that, playing an actor who looks like Lou Reed but isn't. That tells you a lot about the movie.

The second gig my high school band ever played was opening for Bongzilla at the Brew Note in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Considering we were two drug-free 15-year-old dweebs with one guitar and a few month's worth of Dead Milkmen fandom to our name, it was something of a mismatch. I remember them being nice enough dudes,…

Wow, this is gratifying. Give Fulani my regards and thank him for the music.

Hey, that was me! I just clicked this story because I'm marveling at the serendipity.

Hell, they're the only kind I give!

Both of those guys were mad prolific and they did quite a few songs together. Waylon probably forgot about this one on the drive home from the studio.

Gang Related, right?

I can't say I've heard any bad Johnny Cash records, but I've definitely heard a number mediocre ones. Given the rest of his '80s output, I assume this will be one of those. But as you said, even mediocre Johnny is well worth my time.

Straight from the Georgia woods!

The worst of all are people who reply to The Onion with lame jokes of their own. I have no idea what those people think they're going to accomplish with that.

As I noted above, John Moe's long-running hassling of Bounty (and occasionally Brawny) paper towels is an eternal delight.

MOON FIGHT!